Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans don’t trust women.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

I did not have this on my fuck 2024 bingo card.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Women's Rights / Vagina Outrage / South Dakota’s Proposed “It’s Cool to Murder Abortion Providers” Law is Truly Fucked Up.

South Dakota’s Proposed “It’s Cool to Murder Abortion Providers” Law is Truly Fucked Up.

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Further to John’s earlier post on South Dakota’s proposed law, consider this map (via Pleated Jeans), compiled from Census data:

41. South Dakota: highest rate of forcible rape 76.5 per 100,000

There’s that forcible word again.

I followed the links to determine what “forcible” means. I’ve spent fifteen minutes on teh Google thus far, and the answer is, “I don’t fucking know.” The map references census information; the census information provides a link, which sends you to a PDF download, which, in turn, sends you to a dead link about dinosaurs. I searched the FBI’s website and found that there seems to be some dispute about the definition of “forcible rape.” I dug a little deeper and found that dispute relates to whether or not to include men as victims. (They should be.) There seems to be no clarification about the word forcible:

Issue # 5: Clarification Regarding the Definition of Forcible Rape in the Summary system and the NIBRS [National Incident-Based Reporting System]

It is well known that the NIBRS definition of Forcible Rape allows for the possibility of a male victim and a female offender, which is not permissible in the Summary system. However, there are additional, albeit subtle, differences in reporting forcible rape between the NIBRS and Summary system as well.

In the Summary system, forcible rape is defined as “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” (Emphasis added) (UCR Handbook [2004], page 19.) In the NIBRS, forcible rape is defined as “The carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will or not forcibly or against the person’s will in instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.” (Emphasis added) (NIBRS Volume 1: Data Collection Guidelines [August 2000], page 33.)

The discrepancy exists with the and/or wording of the NIBRS definition. Literal interpretations of the definitions indicate that Summary agencies should ensure that both circumstances should be met before classifying an offense as a Forcible Rape and NIBRS agencies need only one circumstance to meet the classification. However, the national Program staff do not discern a substantive difference between the two definitions outside of gender; the change in language reflects a clarification of the intent of the collection of this offense rather than a modification. There is not a substantive difference between the Summary and NIBRS definitions on this particular point, i.e., in either system, the carnal knowledge is obtained forcibly and/or against the respective victim’s will.

The FBI requests that all law enforcement agencies, whether the agencies submit data via the Summary system or the NIBRS, report forcible rapes as appropriate.

In any event, I don’t know how “forcible rape” is defined and I haven’t done much investigation on the methodology of the map, but my gut reaction is that South Dakota’s rapiness combined with South Dakota’s high prevalence of binge drinking, combined with the fact that this law is even being considered means that women may need to get the hell out of that state.

What the fuck is going on in this country right now? It’s getting to the point where women should just sign up to be raped when they’re, say, 18, since it seems the Assholes on the Right don’t give a crap about a woman’s right to choose what goes in and pops out of her body.

Call it the “female draft.”

If we protest, just ignore us. Deep down, we really want to be drafted.

[I would have liked to spend more time researching these links, but I’ve got a ton of antitrust law to dump into my brain this evening, so maybe some of you fine folks could take over my little research project. There’s a donut in it for you, if you figure out what the hell “forcible rape” is. ABLxx]

[cross-posted (sorta) here at Angry Black Lady Chronicles]

Reader Interactions

101Comments

  2. 2.

    Cat Lady

    Instead of getting the hell out of SD, perhaps SD women need to exercise their second amendment rights. Think Lorena Bobbitt but with bullets.

  3. 3.

    BGinCHI

    I was born in the least green state, went to Uni there and in the most sickly, got my PhD in the worst daily commute, then lived in Toronto (unnamed, but let’s go with worst pizza), lived for a while in motorcycle deaths, and now live and teach in robbery.

    My wife is from bestiality.

    So I got that going for me.

  4. 4.

    Warren Terra

    This is not at all topical, but the main page just loaded with six versions of the same banner ad, i.e. the same ad in all six banner ad spots (a nice lady’s huge smiling face, something for AT&T) and it rather creeped me out.

  6. 6.

    Loneoak

    My understanding is that Indian Reservations have an astounding amount of rape, due largely to a lack of funding for police forces and jurisdictional issues. Essentially, one can wander onto the Rez and rape with impunity as long as you dont live on the Rez under the jurisdiction of their courts.

    On a phone thingy here, so no research links to back this up.

  7. 7.

    Linda Featheringill

    How to answer? As someone who was raped at the age of 3 years [we’re talking forced entry here], I can give you a definition that would probably shock the FYWP moderation system.

    On the other hand, I consider anyone who doesn’t want to have sexual intercourse but winds up having it anyway the victim of at least psychological coercion. And anything involving physical coercion would probably be considered rape.

    Most of you fine folks are too young to remember S.C.U.M. I was not a member but when I think of issues like this, I remember them fondly.

    And yet I do believe that approximately half of all really nice people are male.

    God, life is just too complex.

    Edited because I apparently can’t spell. :-)

  9. 9.

    scav

    I know what they mean or meant to mean, but there is the reading that this just means that there are 49 other states that are better at rape than poor old SD and 49 states that presumably have better technique and flair than WA while attempting bestial acts and I don’t even want to consider what being the worst at being old (IA) implies. Bad blue hair rinses?

  10. 10.

    Zifnab

    I dug a little deeper and found that dispute relates to whether or not to include men as victims. (They should be.)

    Nonsense. If a guy gets raped, he was clearly asking for it. When does South Dakota get around to the “stone the sodomites” law anyway?

  12. 12.

    mistermix

    @Loneoak: This. The rez is like a third world country, with high incidence of binge drinking, alcoholism, fetal alcohol syndrome, murder and rape.

    Of course, the asshole pushing this law (Phil Jensen) is not from the reservation.

  13. 13.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @mistermix: There was a great docu on Hulu about the Rez and basketball. highly recommended. Supposedly. my great-grandmother was a Blackfoot, but didn’t sign up with the proper authorities when they were getting their papers (Dawes Act?), so I missed out on all that.

  14. 14.

    FlipYrWhig

    I think “forcible rape” is an attempt to create a label that, alas, constitutes “rape ‘we’ can all agree is rape.” Because consent can be coerced, the consensual-nonconsensual distinction gets too fuzzy for the law to handle properly. Force vs. no-force is easier to distinguish. It seems like they’re trying to figure out how to make force vs. no-force interact properly with consensual vs. nonconsensual, and hence “forcible rape” is both nonconsensual and physically coercive. Other kinds of rape can have coerced consent, incapacitation, consenting-but-underaged, and other aggravating factors.

    It’s damning with faint praise, but at least “forcible rape” can cover marital rape, date rape, and other situations where until fairly recently it used to be said, IIRC, that there was “implied consent.” Excuse me, I just vomited in my mouth a little.

  16. 16.

    ChristianPinko

    I don’t know what “forcible rape” is, but I can tell you that it comes from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. The UCR was established back in 1930, and it defined “forcible rape” as “the carnal knowledge of a female without her consent.” This definition had a good deal of impact, simply because the UCR is a very widely used data source in crime research. However, this definition has also fallen out of favor among criminologists, because of the very reasons that ABL & commenters have identified. The National Crime Victimization Survey and the new National Incident-Based Reporting System both drop the “forcible” language & also don’t specify that the victim is female. Still, in these recent & immensely stupid controversies, I think we’re seeing the influence of the FBI’s old definition rise to the surface again.

  19. 19.

    WyldPirate

    Just an FYI, but that map you posted is worthless as to what state “leads” in a their specific level of “fuckedupedness” in any given category.

    The “forcible rape” numbers for Alaska are 77 per 100K in 2007, versus 38 per 100K in South Dakota. (data from Bureau of Justice statistics

    Both numbers suck and I get the point that the South Dakota legislature is proposing some ridiculous laws, but that’s a pretty big difference in numbers.

  20. 20.

    MikeJ

    It’s funny that the people who want the most narrow reading on rape are the same type that talk about “eye babies” and “optical intercourse”.

  21. 21.

    elle

    This is not based on any research or links; I just think that they probably mean all rape, its not like they are trying to distinguish between forcible rape or any other kind.

    Or maybe they are trying to distinguish between statutory rape and the other forms.

  22. 22.

    Calouste

    @BGinCHI:

    South Carolina has the most mobile homes and the most golf holes per capita, something which can probably quite neatly be summed up as the highest income inequality.

    Georgia has the busiest airport hub and is the most sickly.

    North Carolina has the lowest teacher salaries and the best value cheapest universities.

    And fwiw, Arizona has the most sun and the most alcoholism.

  23. 23.

    Jennifer

    Looking at how fucked up the rest of ya’ll are, Arkansas’ “lowest credit score” looks positively benign. After all, a low credit score most of the time just indicates you don’t make much money.

    Yay, Arkansas! We’re poorer than the rest of you losers!

  24. 24.

    Jennifer

    Hey, and how about our positives? Highest Bromine production, whatever the fuck “bromine” is.

    Suck it, states who aren’t Arkansas!

  25. 25.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    How is Maine the dumbest state? I’ve seen a couple graphs that indicate Arizona has that one nailed.

  27. 27.

    John Emerson

    South Dakota is also horrible in race relation visavis the reservations there. Google “Janklow” and “rape”.

  29. 29.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    North Dakota, ugliest residents? I thought that was Pennsylvania, for whom the term “fugly” was invented.

  30. 30.

    piratedan

    c’mon now, this is just another example of old white guys writing legislation to cover up the “wildly sown oats” of the next generation of sex offenders/Republicans. These are the guys that got their dates so trashed on drugs and alcohol so they could have they way with them and then skip off under the guise of “well, I guess we BOTH had a lot to drink/smoke/pop/snort last night”. See… I didn’t force YOU, YOU lost control and I just couldn’t help myself….. This will save Mom and Dad a boatload of cash from potential lawsuits down the road.

  35. 35.

    Intercalation

    @sukabi: Yeah, but Washington had that high-profile-ish case where the guy (in Enumclaw, was it?) was sneaking into a neighbor’s stable and having horses penetrate him. Until one of them perforated his colon and he died. Then there was an indie film about it.

    Which just goes to show that it’s not always the horse-fucking but rather the publicity effort that wins you the big prize.

  36. 36.

    JGabriel

    ABL:

    There’s a donut in it for you, if you figure out what the hell “forcible rape” is. ABLxx

    (Raises hand, waves wildly)

    Ooh, ooh, I know this one!

    (Puts down arm, folds hands together on desk in front of himself, and recites:)

    If, after hearing the details of the rape, a white man who self-identifies as conservative would feel uncomfortable calling you a “slut”, then it’s forcible rape.

    I’ll take a glazed Krispy Kreme(tm) Donut, please.

    .

  38. 38.

    JGabriel

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    How is Maine the dumbest state?

    Frankly, I’m wondering how any New England state could win the title of “Dumbest”, when there’s all of Dixie in the competition. Does not compute.

    .

  39. 39.

    sukabi

    @Intercalation: I know, I live here… what a claim to fame, huh?

    Moral of the story: if you’re a dumbass sexing up livestock, make sure the dumb ass knows when to pull out.

  40. 40.

    Roger Moore

    @Jennifer:

    Highest Bromine production, whatever the fuck “bromine” is.

    Bromine is a chemical element in the same family as fluorine, chlorine, and iodine (the halogens). It’s used in production of some pharmaceuticals and many industrial chemicals including fire retardants.

  42. 42.

    Scamp Dog

    I thought “forcible rape” was the opposite of statutory rape (if she’s under age, it doesn’t matter that she’s willing). Of course, IANAL, and ABL is.

    By the way, I come from the land of unemployment, spent two years in least ‘green’, moved from there to motorcycle deaths, off to high school graduation for grad school (ha!), then a year in Taipei (crazy people driving scooters?), then to Arson (wait, I thought that was two large cities with WVA in the middle), back to motorcycle deaths, and now in cocaine use. I can say that I’m not using my share (not that I want to, actually).

  43. 43.

    Cliff

    So I get why alcoholism and air pollution are bad things, but why is “nerdiest state” a descriptor?

    I mean, there’s plenty of other things wrong with Ohio besides nerdiness. Kasich and Iott, for example.

  44. 44.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @JGabriel:

    Frankly, I’m wondering how any New England state could win the title of “Dumbest”, when there’s all of Dixie in the competition. Does not compute.

    Remember that dumbass that buried a kid in a haunted pet cemetery and a whole bunch of people got slaughtered? Ayuh.

  46. 46.

    ACBC

    The high rate for rape is no doubt due to the epidemic of it on the reservations. Current issue of Harper’s has the horrible details. But it also undercuts the point that I think ABL is trying to make.

  52. 52.

    Kmeyer the lurker

    That map is a steaming pile of awesome.

    Utah = #1 in porn use. If that ain’t comedy gold, I don’t know what is.

  53. 53.

    Intercalation

    I call bullshit on the entry for Oregon. The large homeless population is obviously to the great shame of this fair state, but all of the bearded hipsters are an even more obvious blight. I hereby propose that we amend the Oregon entry to read “Beardiest”.

  55. 55.

    khead

    So I spent the first half of my life trying to get away from a heart attack, only to end up in the land of AIDS?

    Good thing I shacked up, got married, and never cheated.

    Plus, the schools are pretty good.

    khead +3

  56. 56.

    Kyle

    @BGinCHI:

    It should be “whitest white people”

    That would be southern Utah. Something like 0.1% minority population. Even the cook in the Mexican restaurant was as white as Mitt Romney.

  58. 58.

    Amy

    The Maine one is bullshit. It’s ranked as the dumbest state because the average SAT score is the lowest, but that’s because EVERYONE takes it in high school. The state pays for it, as a way of assessing how students are doing and to encourage college attendance. There are a lot of people who don’t take the SAT when they should because they don’t sign up or weren’t encouraged or can’t afford it — Maine’s policy is meant to overcome those blocks. So of course the average score is lower than states where smaller percentages take the test.

  59. 59.

    Marc McKenzie

    @ABL: You asked, “What the f**k is going on in this country right now?”

    Well…lessee…30+ years of Reagan’s BS being poured into Americans’ ears, 8 years of GWB and Darth Cheney, Iraq, Afghanistan, deficits, education cuts, cable TV news bullcrap, the death of journalism, the “I don’t give a s**t anymore”/”It doesn’t matter, they’re all the same” attitude…

    Only 8 years of Clinton as an interregnum, no real progressive/liberal media infrastructure to hit back and counter the Right wing noise machine (plus the circular firing squad)…

    What’s going on here? It’s that the nutballs are going to do whatever it takes to get into power and truly drag things down on the escalator to hell, and they do not care who gets hurt or killed.

    But hey, some will pin this (somehow) on Obama.

    Sorry for sounding so down, but honestly, I’m at my limits here. I need a drink.

  61. 61.

    MikeJ

    @Jeanne ringland: For the past half hour I’ve been trying to construct a joke that’s a mashup of “keep fucking that chicken” and “in soviet Washington…” but I could never get it to work. So I present you with the elements of a build your own joke kit.

    I never said it was a build your own *good* joke kit.

    (+2 and listening to Bat Chain Puller)

  62. 62.

    khead

    I didn’t think to check my wife’s state…..

    My wife is from bestiality. So I got that going for me.

    But she’s from Philly.

    So now I’m REALLY glad I haven’t cheated.

  64. 64.

    Anne Laurie

    @Intercalation:

    I hereby propose that we amend the Oregon entry to read “Beardiest”.

    If I could produce a better crop of facial hair than whatever that Hipster is so proudly nurturing, you can’t really credit him for a beard. Maybe “Face-fungi-est” or “Most narcissists in need of rigorous tonsorial attention”…

  66. 66.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Call it the “female draft.”

    The wife and daughter call it The War on Women. I concur, it’s a war of male control over women. Pure and simple, they want to control their bodies for their own ends. Women are reduced to being objects whose decisions are made for them by their superiors, much like slaves. Now South Dakota wants to allow the murder of anyone who dares to assist a woman in obtaining an abortion?

    What sick fucks they have to be to think that this is a good idea. Some killing is good? I guess the xtian wingers must love them some honor killings much like those performed by some brown-skinned people of a religion that they vehemently hate.

    I can’t wait until the Republican party comes out in favor of female genital mutilation.

    We will never register as Democrats but we sure will be voting for them, probably for the rest of our lives. Nowadays, to vote Republican is akin to slitting your own throat.

    We’re not in to that shit.

  67. 67.

    Lavocat

    I didn’t need the Census to tell me what everyone should already know: that Massachusetts produces the worst drivers in the nation. And the farther east you go in that state, the worse it gets!

  69. 69.

    alwhite

    My fav out of this madness was one of the bills sponsors explaining why it was not aimed at abortion providers. His example was an abusive SO beating a woman trying to ‘induce’ a miscarriage.

    So what he was subtly saying was “she does not have the right to shoot the bastard for trying to kill her but she does have the right to shoot him for attempting to kill the fetus.”

  70. 70.

    alwhite

    BTW – the law makes killing anyone attempting to kill a fetus justifiable homicide.

    Sooooooo, if my pregnant SO was planning on an abortion and I shot her . . .
    .
    .
    It would be totally cool as long as the bullet didn’t go through the fetus?

  71. 71.

    Wile E. Quixote

    The only thing that the so pro-fetus/anti-woman forces will understand at this point is violence. That’s fucked up, but there it is. These are people who feel that they have the right to use fraud (Lila Rose’s protests) and violence (George Tiller) to achieve their political goals. You don’t try to reason with people like that because you can’t. Reasoning with a pro-lifer is like trying to reason with an Al Qaeda hi-jacker who’s taken over the plane you’re on and wants to fly it into a building for the glory of Allah.

  72. 72.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @alwhite:

    It would be better if the killer was a doctor who could then deliver the baby, ‘saving’ it from the mother!

    The wingasm would rupture the continent.

    Maybe a winger doc could offer on-site delivery services to murderously angry would-be fathers-to-be? It’s conscientious capitalism baby!

  74. 74.

    burnspbesq

    Some client is actually paying for advice on antitrust law? Why? The only antitrust law that is enforced in the United States is the notification part of HSR.

  75. 75.

    Jules

    Someday the Forced Birth Zealots will be a thing of the past…

    I’m so sick and tired of this constant battle to maintain autonomy over MY reproductive system.
    Fuck them.
    Fuck them all….

  76. 76.

    nodakfarmboy

    @Just Some Fuckhead: ND was deemed to have the ugliest residents based on a completely arbitrary formula set up for list at the Daily Beast. Apparently we do poorly in their “model/magazine” and “pageant” rankings.

    I’m not claiming we’re beautiful up this way, but ugliest? That seems a bit harsh. If we get knocked down a peg because we don’t turn out pageant queens, I’ll take that as a point in our favor.

  83. 83.

    nodakfarmboy

    @Kyle: Slope County, ND. 99.5 % white. With an estimated population of 649, this means there are THREE people who aren’t white. And that could be an error in the estimate. I seem to remember there being an article in the New York Times or another major paper discussing it, and interviewing people who said “there used to be one Native American guy here, but he moved.”

    I’d note that Slope County is almost exactly the same size as Rhode Island.

    It’s pretty empty out there. Beautiful country, though.

  84. 84.

    Cain

    Speaking of rape, anybody catch the news that CBS correspondant Lora Logan got sexually assaulted when covering the Egyptian protests by some criminal element?

    cain

  90. 90.

    alwhite

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    Odie, I like the way you think! Of course in the real America the doctor would have to first see if the woman had insurance that covered the birth. Then, would the gunshot wound be considered a per-existing condition?

  91. 91.

    Angry Black Lady

    @burnspbesq: I’m suing the Internet, colloquially speaking, on behalf of an association. If we ever make it past the pleadings stage, it should be pretty interesting. The 9th Cir. vacated the lower court’s order granting 12b6 motion this summer. We filed the complaint almost 6 years ago. We’re on our fourth amended complaint.

    Google “CFIT” if you’re curious! :)

  92. 92.

    Jeanne ringland

    @sukabi: Yes, but in Washington we had a special place where you could make a date with the animal of your dreams.

    Google Spink Farm.

  94. 94.

    shortstop

    Utah ruling in porn use was my favorite until I spotted Oklahoma’s epidemic of female criminals. For some reason I cannot stop laughing.

    Kentucky, enjoy getting your mining-related cancer treated via Rand Paul’s invisible hand.

  95. 95.

    RickyRoma

    @Cain: Salon has a good piece on that sad event, complete with links to conservatives who think she deserved it. That disgusting thing disgusting thing Debbie Schlussel was very happy to have a reason to be racist at Logan’s expense.

    Looks like the attack was brutal, hope recovers as best she can.

  96. 96.

    Cliff, who currently owns no pets

    @Cliff:

    Aha! So you are the impostor Cliff that’s been posting!

    Actually, I think you post here more than I do, so I’ll change my name.

  99. 99.

    Matt

    If we protest, just ignore us. Deep down, we really want to be drafted.

    I believe that’s the Ayn Rand version of female sexuality, as put forth in “Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”. So it probably doesn’t help that SD is full of teabagger Randroids either…

  100. 100.

    Pongo

    @elle: I think you are missing the bigger picture. There is a pattern emerging among staunch anti-abortionists to redefine rape in order to make access to federally-funded abortions more restricted. In Georgia, a bill has been introduced that would change the term ‘victim’ to ‘accuser’–but only if the crime involved is rape. In all other cases, you are still considered a victim of crime prior to a court convicting your attacker. To qualify as a ‘victim’ of rape, which would make you eligible for federally funded abortion, you need to go to court and win a conviction. Conviction rates for rape in court are abysmal, the process is humiliating and victimizing and this effort in Georgia is nothing more than an attempt to make women shut up, take it and birth and raise the product of the assault, should there be one.

    The GOP is trying to achieve in the states what it has failed to do in Congress. This is not an isolated incidence of benign terminology changes–especially when you consider the other doozy of a law currently in front of the South Dakota legislature that would make it legal for someone to kill an abortion provider as ‘justifiable homocide’ under certain circumstances. These are orchestrated events meant to change the culture one state at a time.

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